Pardew cleared but Charlton lose Sankofa to two-match ban

Alan Pardew left Football Association headquarters with mixed emotions yesterday after being cleared of improper conduct for his touchline confrontation with Arsène Wenger but failing to overturn a red card shown to Osei Sankofa at Arsenal and seeing the Charlton Athletic defender's ban extended by a match.

That two-game suspension leaves Charlton without a recognised right-back for their Premiership game at home to Middlesbrough on Saturday week and will have tempered Pardew's joy at being exonerated by an FA disciplinary commission for the spat with Wenger.

The commission found that the charge of improper conduct was "not proven" and that effectively means it concluded that all blame for the incident, which occurred while Pardew was in charge of West Ham United, lay with Wenger.

The Arsenal manager pleaded guilty to a charge of improper conduct for his aggressive and confrontational behaviour and was last month fined £10,000, severely censured and warned as to his future conduct. The set-to involving Wenger and Pardew at Upton Park on November 5 culminated in them having to be separated by the fourth official.

It was sparked by Pardew's celebrations of a late goal by Marlon Harewood, including words and gestures at his opposite number, but Pardew's insistence that he did nothing untoward has been backed by the commission.

Pardew, though, will be furious, with the outcome of a separate hearing into Sankofa's red card. A disciplinary commission decided Charlton's claim for wrongful dismissal was "frivolous" and gave Sankofa an extra one-match ban under provisions brought in as part of the FA's fast-track disciplinary system.

The 21-year-old is believed to be the first Premiership player to suffer that fate and it leaves Charlton without a right-back against Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup tomorrow and more importantly against Boro. Luke Young is not expected back from a knee injury until next month, so Radostin Kishishev, Jonathan Fortune or Talal El Karkouri is likely to fill in.

Charlton, meanwhile, are looking to bring Alexei Smertin back to the club. The Dynamo Moscow midfielder enjoyed a loan spell at The Valley in 2005-06.

Sheffield United's captain, Chris Morgan, has been found guilty of violent conduct and banned for three games by the Football Association. Morgan was charged after appearing to punch Robin van Persie in the Blades' victory against Arsenal last Saturday.

Morgan will miss tomorrow's FA Cup third-round clash with Swansea City and the Premiership matches against Portsmouth and Reading.

Hull City yesterday confirmed the appointment of Phil Brown as their manager until the end of the season after he impressed during his spell in the caretaker role. Brown was assistant to Phil Parkinson until he was sacked by the Championship club last month.